Preview: Jaguars try to start fresh on offense vs. Chiefs

Jobs. How can they not be? The Jaguars made offensive coordinator Greg Olson the fall guy for their 2-5 start, firing him after a disjointed 36-22 loss to the Titans on Thursday night two weeks ago. Not that the move wasn’t justified. Even Olson admitted the offensive had regressed, and the same can probably be said of quarterback Blake Bortles, who’s mechanics are a mess right now. If the losing continues, though, fingers will start to be pointed at defensive coordinator Todd Wash and eventually head coach Gus Bradley. And rightfully so. The Jags were expected to emerge as one of the league’s better young teams this year but they have far too often looked like the same old Jags. That cannot continue.

Key matchup

One of the reasons Olson was fired was because there was a disconnect between him and Bradley regarding the offense. Bradley wanted to run the ball. Olson wanted to throw it. The stats prove it. The Jags have thrown the ball 290 times while running it just 134 times this year. Part of that is due to the fact they’re usually playing from behind but new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who was promoted from quarterbacks coach, is expected to make a more concerted effort to get the ground game going. This is a good week to do it, too. The Chiefs are allowing 113.5 yards rushing per game (19th in the league) and 4.5 yards per carry (25th in the league). If the Jags can get their running game going Bortles should have an easier time taking advantage of all the weapons he has in the passing game.

Statistically speaking

The Chiefs have been going deep lately. And they’ve had quite a bit of success doing so. They’ve completed nine passes of 25 yards or more the past three weeks, the most in the NFL over that time, and Nick Foles has been a big part of that. He was 3-for-4 with a touchdown on throws of more than 20 yards during his relief appearance after Alex Smith’s concussion against Indianapolis last week, so look for more deep balls today against the Jags. The receiver to watch down the field is rookie Tyreek Hill. He caught five passes for 98 yards and a touchdown last week and is averaging 3.84 yards per route run, the highest rate in the league among players who have run 20 or more routes this year, according to ProFootballFocus.

He said it

“It’s just football. Somebody’s going to call the plays and then you’ve got to go play. It’s not a whole lot more complicated than that and we’ve got to continue to not complicate it more than that. But I think Sunday will be a good test. I’m excited for it. I think it’s a good opportunity for us to see where we’re at with the new offensive coordinator and then obviously for myself and personal reasons.” –Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles.

Roy Cummings is a native of Chicago, Illinois who grew up in the suburb of Lombard. He and his family later moved to Lakeland, Florida, where Roy attended high school at Kathleen High. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communications in 1983 and immediately went to work for the Tampa Tribune. After five years working in a Polk County bureau covering everything from high school sports to college football to the Orlando Magic of the NBA, Roy moved back to Tampa and became the Tribune's first beat writer for the Tampa Bay Lightning, covering the team from its inception through the first eight years on the ice. He was then moved to the Buccaneers beat, where he stayed until the paper was folded in May, 2016. A two-time Florida Sports Writer of the Year, Roy has extensive experience covering all Tampa professional sports teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays.

Steelers add to Jaguars frustrations with late comeback

Any hope that the Jaguars were going to turn their season around on a November Sunday in North Florida ended abruptly, as Ben Roethlisberger fueled a 16-point second-half comeback and the Steelers handed Jacksonville their sixth straight defeat.

The Jaguars controlled most of the first three quarters, but unfortunately had only three Josh Lambo field goals to show for their excellent play in the first half. And, their 9 – 0 lead going into the 3rd quarter came back to haunt them later on.

Then, when Roethlisberger led the Steelers to another touchdown with under six minutes remaining hitting TE Vance McDonald on an 11-yard score, it wast 16-13.

Once more, Jacksonville’s offense could do nothing and gave the ball back to Pittsburgh for one more opportunity for Roethlisberger to play the hero. He hit Juju Smith Schuster-with a long completion inside the Jacksonville 25 yard line, and then, another pass over the middle Bryant put them down inside the 4-yard line with under :20 to play.

Two plays later Roethlisberger scrambled just into the end zone with only :05 remaining in the game and the comeback was complete.

In stunning the Jaguars and their home fans, Pittsburgh won its six consecutive game. Further, they dealt a likely fatal blow to Jacksonville’s hopes to get into the playoff race, as they now stand at 3-7.

Despite Leonard Fournette having a strong day with almost a hundred yards rushing and the lone touchdown on an “Up and Over” dive in the third quarter, the Jags once again showed that their biggest flaw is: that can’t throw the football with any down-filled success and get quick scores with any regularity.

And unlike 2017 when they’re plodding, run-based offense was effective, time and again, it’s been exposed in 2018 for losses.

With the win the Steelers do get a measure of revenge after being swept last year by Jacksonville including a while 45 – 35 playoff loss in the divisional round at Heinz Field.

We’ve documented the off-season of headaches that included: Ramsey not showing up to OTAs, delaying arriving to training camp by 5 days after the birth of his daughter, and being outspoken in an article on GQ.com criticizing multiple quarterbacks including the Jaguars opponent today, the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger.

And he and former teammate Dante Fowler were both suspended for a week during the preseason for their behavior at a Jags training camp practice, where Fowler was trying to get into a fight with teammate Yannick Ngakoue.

Earlier this week, Coach Doug Marrone took an unusual step for him and actually specifically mentioned Ramsey by name, as having blown a key coverage in the first half on a Colts touchdown pass to tight end Eric Ebron.

Ramsey was a top-10 pick of the Jaguars in 2016 and is in the third year of his four-year rookie deal. So that makes the rumors about a possible trade after the season even juicier, because he’s much more affordable for another team to acquire right now.

Notice: We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. By closing this banner, scrolling this page, clicking a link or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to the use of cookies. If you want to know more or withdraw your consent to all or some of the cookies, please refer to the cookie policy.OkRead more